Retreat Calendar
August | September | October | November | December | January | February
August |
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Aug 8-10 Stories of the Wild: Family Retreat in Tracking and Storytellingwith Jim Bruchac To enter the wilderness as a family and find comfort and wonder in the expanses of the earth, water and sky is to share a gift that lasts a lifetime. This retreat, sponsored |
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Aug 13 - 17 Kyudo: Zen Archery Intensivewith Don Symanski Kyudo demands that we let go of our goals and expectations and live fully in the moment. Through meticulous attention to detail, all aspects of the Kyudo form and movements provide a subtle mirror of the self, as well as an opportunity for deep study. |
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Aug 15 - 17 Taking up the Green Practice Pathwith Stephanie Kaza In the last few years there has been a deluge of books on the market offering “easy steps” to being green. They seem to suggest that all it takes is a few easy actions and we’re there; the planet will magically be made whole again. But the more we understand the complexities of ecosystem functions and human inequities, the more we realize how much effort it will take to turn the ship toward a sustainable future... |
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Aug 18-24 Hazy Moon Sesshinwith Shugen Sensei and Ryushin Osho Characterized by silence and deep introspection, sesshin is recommended to anyone who is sincerely interested in experiencing intensive Zen training. We wake up each day before dawn to begin a schedule that includes 7 to 10 hours of zazen, chanting services, formal silent meals in the zendo (oryoki), work practice... |
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Aug 29-31 Ango Opening Sesshinwith Shugen Sensei and Ryushin Osho The weekend sesshin is perfect for those who want an introduction to sesshin practice or for more experienced practitioners who are unable to attend the longer retreats. The retreat begins Friday evening with an orientation to introduce first-time participants to oryoki, face-to-face teachings, and the spirit and schedule of sesshin... |
September |
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Sep 12-14 Qigong: Breath/Energywith Arthur Makaris Qi (or ki in Japanese) is a powerful life force that lies at the heart of one’s physical and spiritual well-being. In zazen, qi manifests itself as joriki, the power of concentrated awareness that is available whether we are still or engaged in activity. The practice of qigong fosters harmony of the mind, body and breath, eroding unconscious tension and generating greater health and vitality... |
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Sep 12-14 Zen Master Dogen: The Early Years - Transmitting the Dharmawith Steven Heine Zen Master Dogen’s most famous and frequently read work is the Shobogenzo: Treasury of the True Dharma Eye. It is an extensive and mature expression of Dogen’s appreciation of the dharma. Although the initial sections, including the “Genjokoan,” were composed in 1233, the bulk of the writings are from a decade later, when Dogen was in the process of moving from Kyoto to the Echizen mountains... |
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Sep 19-21 Precepts I: Introduction to the Buddhist Preceptswith Shugen Sensei The moral and ethical teachings of the Buddha are fundamental to all schools of Buddhism, and they are a vital aspect of training within the Mountains and Rivers Order. They are an essential pointer for living an enlightened life. Easily misunderstood as a simple list of rules, the precepts are a profound expression of compassion... |
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Sep 22-28 Mountains and Rivers Sesshinwith Shugen Sensei and Ryushin Osho Characterized by silence and deep introspection, sesshin is recommended to anyone who is sincerely interested in experiencing intensive Zen training. We wake up each day before dawn to begin a schedule that includes 7 to 10 hours of zazen, chanting services, formal silent meals in the zendo (oryoki), work practice... |
October |
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Oct 3-5 Introduction to Zen Training Retreatwith ZMM Staff This is the Monastery’s most popular retreat. Designed for those new to Zen, the weekend introduces the most important aspects of traditional Zen training within the context of the unique Eight Gates program... |
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Oct 10-12 Buddhist Jataka Tales: Storytelling on the Bodhisattva Waywith Rafe Martin Buddhist jataka tales (stories of the Buddha’s past lives, often in animal form) have been told, written, carved, painted, dramatized and performed throughout the Buddhist world since earliest times. In fact, the Buddha himself is said to have been their original narrator. These stories reveal the deep heart of Buddhist vision and imagination... |
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Oct 10-12 Atonement and Forgivenesswith Shugen Sensei Spiritual practice is centered on the recognition that good and evil exist in the world. Much of human history is the story of harms inflicted by human beings upon themselves, upon others, and upon the earth and its many creatures. Many students of Buddhism are brought to the Path out of the suffering that they have experienced in their lives, both in the harm done to them as well as those hurtful actions they have brought upon others... |
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Oct 17-19 Raising the Mind of Enlightenment:
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Oct 20-26 Harvest Sesshinwith Ryushin Osho Characterized by silence and deep introspection, sesshin is recommended to anyone who is sincerely interested in experiencing intensive Zen training. We wake up each day before dawn to begin a schedule that includes 7 to 10 hours of zazen, chanting services, formal silent meals in the zendo (oryoki), work practice... |
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Oct 31-Nov 2 Introduction to Zen Training Retreatwith ZMM Staff This is the Monastery’s most popular retreat. Designed for those new to Zen, the weekend introduces the most important aspects of traditional Zen training within the context of the unique Eight Gates program... |
November |
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Nov 7-9 Practicing Harmony: The Gift and Challenge of Communitywith Mark Finn and Ryushin Osho Amidst our modern dedication to individualism, the sense of a viable community has all but evaporated. Within our families, schools, neighborhoods, and work places, we feel a deep hunger for a sense of communal belonging. Turning back towards rediscovering our connectedness, we need to remember that to enter a community is to practice its realities... |
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Nov 14-16 A Meditation Retreat for Writerswith Susan Piver As writers we all hunger for the same things: time to write and creative flow. Yet even when we find such precious time, it may not be easy to settle into the writing groove. Through practicing meditation, however, we can access our true voice and deepest inspiration. Join us as we interweave meditation practice, personal writing time and group discussion, sharing both silence and our writing with each other... |
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Nov 14-16 Being Somebody and Being Nobody: Study of Self in Zen Buddhismwith Ryushin Osho The path of Zen Buddhism is a path of candid and exhaustive exploration. All of the forms and methods of practice offered by the teachings, in one way or another, provide us with tested approaches to seeing deeply into the nature of reality through study of the self—study of the experience of immediacy available to us throughout our lives... |
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Nov 17-23 Shuso Hossen Sesshinwith Shugen Sensei and Ryushin Osho Characterized by silence and deep introspection, sesshin is recommended to anyone who is sincerely interested in experiencing intensive Zen training. We wake up each day before dawn to begin a schedule that includes 7 to 10 hours of zazen, chanting services, formal silent meals in the zendo (oryoki), work practice... |
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Nov 28-30 Introduction to Zen Training Retreatwith ZMM Staff This is the Monastery’s most popular retreat. Designed for those new to Zen, the weekend introduces the most important aspects of traditional Zen training within the context of the unique Eight Gates program... |
December |
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Dec 4-7 Buddha's Enlightenment Vigilwith ZMM Staff After he left the home in which he was raised, Shakyamuni Buddha studied with spiritual teachers across northern India in an effort to resolve his questions about life and death. But even after six years of ascetic practices, he remained unsatisfied. One evening, he remembered the simple joy he had experienced sitting at the foot of a tree as a child... |
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Dec 12-14 Dana Dinnerwith ZMM Staff Giving is a natural human impulse. How then does it become so complicated? The Buddhist practice of selfless giving offers a way to transform the intense and often conflicting impulses that arise when we give. When we actually experience (rather than believe in an idea of) our oneness with others, we encounter intimacy... |
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Dec 19-21 Weekend Sesshinwith Ryushin Osho The weekend sesshin is perfect for those who want an introduction to sesshin practice or for more experienced practitioners who are unable to attend the longer retreats. The retreat begins Friday evening with an orientation to introduce first-time participants to oryoki, face-to-face teachings, and the spirit and schedule of sesshin... |
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Dec 26-31 Ruhatsu Sesshinwith Shugen Sensei and Ryushin Osho Characterized by silence and deep introspection, sesshin is recommended to anyone who is sincerely interested in experiencing intensive Zen training. We wake up each day before dawn to begin a schedule that includes 7 to 10 hours of zazen, chanting services, formal silent meals in the zendo (oryoki), work practice... |
January |
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Jan 9-11 Introduction to Zen Training Retreatwith ZMM Staff This is the Monastery’s most popular retreat. Designed for those new to Zen, the weekend introduces the most important aspects of traditional Zen training within the context of the unique Eight Gates program... |
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Jan 16-18 Calligraphy in Colorwith Kazuaki Tanahashi We will begin by exploring the 1700 year old wisdom of East Asian calligraphy as we look at ancient Chinese masterpieces. Then we will engage the heart of the learning and creative process by faithfully copying selected ideographs in different styles. |
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Jan 23 - 25 Beginner's Kyudowith Marion Taylor Kyudo is one of the traditional Japanese martial arts, referred to as “standing zazen.” When taken up with patience and attention to detail, Kyudo is a dynamic way to focus the mind and open the heart... |
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Jan 23 - 25 The Haiku Pathwith Stanford M. Forrester According to one common definition, a haiku is a short poem that records the essence of a moment keenly perceived, in which nature is linked to human nature. For some, writing haiku is also a spiritual path... |
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Jan 26-Feb 1 New Year's Sesshinwith Ryushin Osho Characterized by silence and deep introspection, sesshin is recommended to anyone who is sincerely interested in experiencing intensive Zen training. We wake up each day before dawn to begin a schedule that includes 7 to 10 hours of zazen, chanting services, formal silent meals in the zendo (oryoki), work practice... |
February |
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Feb 6-8 Introduction to Zen Training Retreatwith ZMM Staff This is the Monastery’s most popular retreat. Designed for those new to Zen, the weekend introduces the most important aspects of traditional Zen training within the context of the unique Eight Gates program... |
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Feb 13-15 The Meal that Is Just the Right Amountwith Ryushin Osho Amidst Zen liturgy, oryoki, the formal silent meal taken during meditation intensives, is one of the richest and most subtle practice and training opportunities. It offers participants an entry point for appreciating the power and the relevance of liturgy. Oryoki highlights the teachings on generosity, interdependence, and gratitude... |
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Feb 13-15 The Study of One Thingwith Mn. Jody Hojin Kimmel Master Dogen taught that the wholehearted practice of the way is to take up the study of one thing and to understand it deeply. He encouraged us to study each dharma exhaustively and then to study it still further. For this retreat we will choose one thing to concentrate our studies on and express our understanding and experience through a variety of media... |
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Feb 16-22 Bodhidharma Sesshinwith Ryushin Osho Characterized by silence and deep introspection, sesshin is recommended to anyone who is sincerely interested in experiencing intensive Zen training. We wake up each day before dawn to begin a schedule that includes 7 to 10 hours of zazen, chanting services, formal silent meals in the zendo (oryoki), work practice... |
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Feb 27-Mar1 Ango Opening Sesshinwith Shugen Sensei and Ryushin Osho The weekend sesshin is perfect for those who want an introduction to sesshin practice or for more experienced practitioners who are unable to attend the longer retreats. The retreat begins Friday evening with an orientation to introduce first-time participants to oryoki, face-to-face teachings, and the spirit and schedule of sesshin... |
Aug 1-3 